How’s Your Heart Doing?

On 2021-05-202021-05-20 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Heart, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2021-05-20
WRITTEN AT: Nassau, Bahamas

SCRIPTURE FROM: Mark 7:20-23
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: ²⁰Then Jesus said: What comes from your heart is what makes you unclean. ²¹Out of your heart come evil thoughts, vulgar deeds, stealing, murder, ²²unfaithfulness in marriage, greed, meanness, deceit, indecency, envy, insults, pride, and foolishness. ²³All of these come from your heart, and they are what make you unfit to worship God.

APPLICATION: The Pharisees tried hard to keep a thumb on their people that they felt a responsibility for, and as such, they tried to tell them what they thought was right from wrong. Jesus, on the other hand, made it a point of helping mankind think for themselves, using His Word as their guide. This often meant explaining His principles so that the crowd would fully understand what they were reading. This is very similar in what honest, Bible-teaching churches are trying to accomplish today. In today’s Scripture, Jesus wanted His audience, and us, to understand that many rules are made to supposedly help people live according to His commands. For example, some teach that the foods you eat will defile your body, and may even defile your relationship with God through disobedience to the old laws of Moses. While Jesus did not bash the teachers of His day, He went on to explain why a proper understanding of His commands was way more important. While some foods may make certain people sick, and they may choose to refrain from eating that particular item ever again, Jesus is way more concerned about our heart, and He wasn’t referring to heart disease! When Jesus taught about the ‘heart’, He referred to the very soul and being of mankind. This is why Christians say that they invited Jesus into their ‘heart’, meaning into their soul and being. So according to the teachings of Jesus, we are to be more concerned about what things affect our ‘hearts’. Unlike many other questions where the answer is left up to man’s opinion and interpretation, Jesus actually gave us several things that will result from a ‘heart’ exposed to sin and opposition to His teachings. So I would encourage you to meditate with me in considering what sorts of things provoke us into doing the things mentioned in verses 21 and 22, for those are the things that cause us to sin, because they directly impact the ‘heart’ of man. Further, we must clearly understand that when we react to these things in the examples given by Jesus, we are really out of fellowship with Him and would truly hurt His heart to see us in acts of worship with such unconfessed sin impacting our emotions and our reactions to things of this life. Friends, I believe that we can all discern that such conditions of our ‘heart’ cannot be corrected by a mother, spouse, good friend nor our pastor, for we can hide these things from almost every other person on earth. As already stated, these things prevent us from having an open and sincere relationship with our Maker, so our sin is really against the One who gave His very life for us. Pretending to the world that everything is good with you and your relationship with Jesus Christ, is about the worse thing you can do, and bear upon yourself. Throughout the Word of God, we are told that we all will sin while here on earth among sinners. However, the Bible goes on to tell us how to deal with that sin. For Christians, the Holy Spirit – that part of God that lives inside of the Christian, will prompt us to seek forgiveness from the Father. For the unbeliever who does not know God, you are constantly being prompted to personally see God, and draw close to Him by accepting His Son, Jesus. Surely you would never ask a stranger for such a daunting thing as forgiveness of your sin. So let me encourage you to seek the Lord while you still have breath and abilities to do so. Become fit to meet the King of all kings, and then enjoy the benefits of heaven one day. My God will never fail you, my friend! He created you, He loves you unconditionally, and He has a place prepared for you when life here on earth is over. But you must personally accept Him as Lord and Savior. If you can remember the time when you surrendered your life to His lordship, then praise Him for His goodness and reconcile any sin that may hinder your relationship with Him.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Only God can forgive us of our sin and give us the peace that we are destined for our eternal home with Him in glory. He loves us unconditionally!

PRAYER: Thank You dear Lord for Your unconditional love. Please forgive us that wait for others to fix our issues, and draw us close to You, Your Word, and a clear understanding of everything that corrupts our relationship with You. Please Lord, deal in the heart of the one who may read this devotion and have not accepted You as Lord yet. Draw them to Yourself and convict them of their sin. Touch the heart of each believer that may be reminded of Your caution today. Please help us all to keep an open, honest and clear relationship with You. May our ‘hearts’ be clear of earthly hindrances, because of You and because of Your almighty power. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Be Different – HOLY

On 2021-05-192021-05-19 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Holy, Holy Living, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2021-05-19
WRITTEN AT: Nassau, Bahamas

SCRIPTURE FROM: Leviticus 20:7-8; 24; 26
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁷Dedicate yourselves to me and be holy because I am the Lord your God. ⁸I have chosen you as my people, and I expect you to obey my laws.
²⁴…. I have chosen you to be different from other people.
²⁶I am the Lord, the holy God. You have been chosen to be my people, and so you must be holy too.

APPLICATION: So what do you suppose would have happened if the Israelites went into the Promised Land without this warning from God? Don’t you think that the inhabitants would have been stirred into anger and seek unending revenge on them? So what happens when we step into our communities and in talking with friends when we tell them about our church life, and about us being a Christian, yet they continue to see us in our workplaces cheating our customers, stealing from the boss, and being very rude and obnoxious with our coworkers? Will they believe what we say, or what we do? Although being unbelievers, they would still discern our differences in character from the God they heard about. I know, you try to act as close to ‘normal’ in the eyes of your friends so that you won’t stand out, right? But what happened at your point of asking Jesus to be your Savior? Hopefully you didn’t tell Jesus that you would still have to follow your old convictions and act like your friends? My dear readers, there are multiple places in the Bible where we are told to ‘come out of the world and follow Jesus’. This means that you not only say with your mouth that you believe in God and accept Jesus as Lord, but that you have a desire to follow His commands and imitate His very character so that your life would now look like your new Master, and not burdened with the sin of this world and the desire to please mankind. Jesus said that because He rescued us from our sin, we are to be like Him – HOLY, just as He is holy. You cannot be like the world, and also like Christ. Those are complete opposites. God chose you to be His son/daughter, so He demands that we strive everyday to be just like Him – holy. If you say that there is no way you could be holy, you will be absolutely correct. It is only through the power of God, and the Holy Spirit that lives within you, that you could ever achieve holiness. For the reader who belongs to Jesus, then this will act as a reminder of what God always expects from you. For the unbeliever who has been touched by the spirit of God to surrender your life to His lordship, I am hoping that this devotional may have given you one more reason to make this important change in your life. My friend, know Jesus today and know the peace that passeth all understanding. It is only through this peace and redirection in your life, that you can ask the Master to give you wisdom and everlasting strength to live in total obedience to Him and to be holy like He expects. If you would like to know my Lord, please: see a local pastor and ask for help; or respond to me using the link in my Footnote; or simply read the Scriptures mentioned in my link ‘To Know Jesus’ included in my Footnote.

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Holiness is achievable in this life, if we place our faith and trust in the lord Jesus and allow Him to guide us into holiness – just as He is holy.

PRAYER: From a world’s perspective, being holy is totally unattainable. But I thank You Lord for the gift You left with us – the Holy Spirit. I know that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Lord Jesus, You know how challenging we have it here in this wicked world around those who want nothing to do with You. Please Lord, enrich us with a deep desire to allow Your Holy Spirit to work through us in every aspect of our lives, so that we may be holy, just as You are holy. In turn, may the world see You very prevalent in us, causing them to desire a close and intimate walk with You. Have Your way in us Lord, so that You may be glorified on earth as You are in Heaven. AMEN!

In Spite Of It All – Trust God!

On 2021-05-182021-05-18 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Trust, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2021-05-18
WRITTEN AT: Nassau, Bahamas

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 31:14-15
TRANSLATION: New Living Translation (NLT)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁴But I am trusting you, O Lord, saying, “You are my God!”
¹⁵My future is in your hands.…

APPLICATION: So many times we may have experienced, or perhaps heard about, situations where someone will lose their minds, or all hope in the future, because of the circumstances they have encountered. It might be a huge argument between family members that may cause at least one member of the family to move hundreds of miles away in order to never come in contact with that family member again. It may be that we were looked over for a promotion at work, so we decided to quit our job, even though we have no prospects for a possible alternative. It may be like David, where it seems extremely obvious to us that someone is out to kill us, or perhaps get us fired from our job, separated from our spouse, etc. Friends, we all have probably experienced extreme responses to these things by the world and our unsaved loved ones. But I pray that you are reading this devotional today because you are looking for the reaction that God would prefer, or that He demonstrated and/or taught in His Word. I believe that David demonstrates something that we see repeatedly throughout the Bible, that for the man/woman who places their trust in the God of the universe, and depend on Him for their walk here on earth, that we are to not only praise Him when we are on the mountain top experiencing His outstanding blessings, but we are also to be reminded that this same God is also there to hold our hands and help us through the toughest times of life. He alone could calm our minds at these very challenging times, and He alone can show us that every little thing is going to be alright. I believe that we look at our circumstances way too much, and we look for worse-case scenarios that could impact us because of those times. But shouldn’t we be reminded in this Scripture today that as a prince/princess of the most Holy, Righteous and Powerful King every known, that He will care for His own, calm our nerves and anxious fears, and give us confidence to go on knowing that He has a future planned for us, if only we will stay focused and stay committed to His lead. Consider the stress that David encountered with so many of king Saul’s army being in hot pursuit to capture him and/or kill him. However, in this chapter we could see that David resigned himself to the fact that no matter what happens, he was content in knowing that the Lord God was His master, and whether He chose to bless David then, or in heaven, there was no need to fear! As a father myself, I can’t think of anything that would stop me from protecting my daughter, or ensuring that she is safe and cared for. Can you even imagine how much more our Heavenly Father cares for us? Oh that we could finish each day by brushing aside the concerns of that day and repeating similar words to those of David ‘… but You are my God, and I place my today and my tomorrows in Your hands’. I believe that this might allow us to lay aside our troubles and sleep content in knowing that our great big God is watching over us and caring for us!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Circumstances will come every day. We have a choice practiced by the world where they are out for revenge, or for those who know Jesus as Lord, we have peace in saying like the Psalmist ‘You are my God, and my tomorrows are in Your hands’!

PRAYER: Thank You precious Lord for not only saving my soul, but also for caring about me each and every day. No matter what comes my way, may I also stand strong in my faith knowing that You’re in control and You will still be God. Help my readers and I to stay focused on You, the one true consistent source of strength, wisdom and love in our todays and our tomorrows. You alone are God, and I pray that we will trust You in every circumstance of life. AMEN!

BLESSINGb(S) NOTED: ^

How To Never Lack Any Good Thing

On 2021-05-172021-05-17 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Passionate, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

Monday, 2021-05-17

Bible Reference: Psalm 34:9-10
Translation: The Passion Translation (TPT)

Bible Text: ⁹Worship in awe and wonder, all you who’ve been made holy! For all who fear him will feast with plenty.
¹⁰Even the strong and the wealthy grow weak and hungry,
but those who passionately pursue the Lord will never lack any good thing.

OBSERVATION: All too often we hear the saying ‘why do bad things happen to ‘good’ people’, or of course, just the opposite ‘why do good things always happen to ‘bad’ people’. But our Scripture verses today reminds us that for those who sincerely, and honestly, and diligently seek after the Lord, they will never lack any good thing. What an amazing thought to ponder today!

APPLICATION: I’m sure that many could analyze each little word in these verses and offer their opinion on what David said, or what they feel like he meant, or perhaps how these words should be applied to our lives in this modern world. However, I am innocent enough to believe and, based on my knowledge of my Lord and the sincerity of His love for me, that these verses meant nothing less than what His servant David said. You see, we need not be talked out of the blessing that God has in store for His chosen children – those who honestly and humbly seek to honor and obey Him, and follow His commands and His teachings. In other words, like the Scripture says in this translation – this applies to ‘those who passionately pursue Him’. So where do you stand with your relationship with God, my friend? Do you consider yourself ‘passionate’ about Your Master and King? Do you seek ways to learn more about Him and/or develop the relationship that you have with Him? Yes, even years and years after accepting Him as Lord, I believe it is still vital on our part, to: pursue the Lord and want to know Him even better; want to serve Him even more; want to act like Him even more; in fact, we should be downright passionate about being His ambassador here on earth, until we are humbly at His feet in Heaven. So you may wonder why this is so important to you/us. My friend, I hope that this assures you of the love that the King of this universe has for even you! I hope that your goal to be more like Jesus every day has become more worthwhile and important to you after reading the words of David today! I hope that you have been reminded that although we will never attain perfection here on this life, our hope is in the Lord – the creator of earth, sky and each of us, and that He has a home prepared for us in Heaven – so we press on towards the mark with our greatest passion and unyielding desire, with Jesus as our helper and guide. Great things are in store for us friends, there’s no reason to ever turn back!

PRAYER: Thank You Lord for saving my soul, thank You Lord for making me whole, thank You Lord for giving to me – thy great salvation so rich, and free! What a blessing to know that You have so much in store for us while we are here on this earth, and especially after we join You in glory! Please continue to guide us and bless us as we deal with the challenges of this world, and until the day You call us home to glory. Oh that You may be glorified in everything we do and say, precious Lord, so that others may see, hear and believe. AMEN!

Jesus Also Knows About Our Struggles

On 2021-05-162021-05-16 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Sunday, 2021-05-16
WRITTEN AT: Nassau, BAHAMAS

SCRIPTURE FROM: Mark 6:47-51
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ⁴⁷During the night, as the disciples in their boat were out in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land, ⁴⁸he saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves.
About three o’clock in the morning he walked out to them on the water. He started past them, ⁴⁹but when they saw something walking along beside them, they screamed in terror, thinking it was a ghost, ⁵⁰for they all saw him.
But he spoke to them at once. “It’s all right,” he said. “It is I! Don’t be afraid.” ⁵¹Then he climbed into the boat and the wind stopped!

APPLICATION: It is easy to praise God the Father when we’re on a mountain-top experience and we could clearly see that God has been working miraculously in our lives. The disciples had experienced times like this. In fact, they had just been a part of a miraculous feeding of the five thousand, so they knew without a doubt that Jesus was the true Son of God and that He was capable of performing God-sized miracles. But now their faith is being tested, for Jesus’ disciples were traveling in a boat across the lake to Bethsaida, without Jesus being on board the boat with them, when a storm arose and blew them off course. Notice that the Word says that Jesus was well aware of the struggle His disciples were going through. You see, He not only knows where we want to go, but even more importantly, He knows the struggles of this world that are holding us back and forcing us off course. It may be health, or finances or family issues, or a thousand other things. Just as He knew what His disciples were facing out in the middle of that lake in the middle of the night, HE also KNOWS what we are facing. The following course of action is even more exciting, because the Bible tells me that He stopped what He was doing and left where He was spending time in prayer and went to the disciples – He went to their rescue, to help them. Isn’t it comforting to know that Jesus already knows our hearts and He knows what we need, when we need it and how badly we need it. I am amazed that in spite of our worldly distractions yet, because we are His children, Jesus comes to our rescue and calms our waters of worry and hopelessness! Just as the rough waters of the lake subsided when He entered the boat with His disciples, I truly believe that He meets our needs, calms our fears, fills us with His joy and His peace, and then He tops that all off by giving us hope for eternity with Him in heaven! It seems like the writer of that old hymn ‘It Is Well With My Soul’ may have encountered this kind of peace, and perhaps wrote that longtime favorite for Christians even today, so that we may glorify our God for His everlasting hope, peace of mind in knowing that our future is secure with our Savior because of our souls are at peace with Him. Are you experiencing this kind of peace my friend? If you know Jesus as Lord, I pray that His peace is with you through every circumstance of life. If you do not know Him, I pray that you will take a few minutes to click on the link in my footer ‘To Know Jesus’, for there you will find Scripture that will introduce you to my Savior and how you too might become secure in the salvation offered only by Jesus!

PRAYER: From the bottom of the heart of one who needs the love, peace and joy of my Savior on a daily basis, I will be the first to say thank You Lord for saving my soul, thank You Lord for making me whole, thank You Lord for giving to me – thy great salvation so rich and free. How would I ever manage without the peace of knowing the King of all kings, the Lord of all lords, and the comfort of knowing who leads my way each day. Lord, oh how I wish that all my readers will share my joy today because of their faith in You. I love You Lord, and I lift my voice to You in honor and praise. AMEN!

I Will Praise You Forever!

On 2021-05-132021-05-13 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Praise-worthy, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Thursday, 2021-05-13
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Psalm 30:11-12
TRANSLATION: New Century Version (NCV)

BIBLE TEXT: 11 You changed my sorrow into dancing. You took away my clothes of sadness, and clothed me in happiness. 12 I will sing to you and not be silent. Lord, my God, I will praise you forever.

APPLICATION: I remember a time or two in my lifetime where I was committed to earnest prayer for very dire situations. Being blessed to come out successfully and favorably on the other side of that situation, I remember that it was a natural reaction to praise the Lord with all of my being. David had gone through some very similar situations, but he stuck to his plan in pleading before God about his concerns. In just the early part of Psalm 30, David was in such fear of his life, and unsure if God was really protecting him, until he questioned what good would it do God if he died. Often when we are in a hopeless mood and on an uncertain path, we start to feel sorry for ourselves. In fact, we may even start to feel like God has forsaken us. But I believe that God places us in the path of Scripture such as this one, where we are reminded that our problems have been very, very minor compared to those that David faced, yet he realized that the God of this whole universe noticed a little spec like himself and filled his heart with joy and amazing hope. Friends, this is the same God that we serve! Have you really face unsurmountable problems during the week, or have you just not seen your life unfold the way that you imagined, or wanted? What if you met a friend, like I did, who is a paraplegic, yet he encourages other men each week in their walk with the Lord? Do you suppose that you may then feel like your problems really were insignificant, and that God really has been faithful to you in many supernatural ways? God has been dealing with me about this daily devotional format recently, for He led me to think about adding a section to declare His blessings in each Scripture that we look at. You see, I have been focusing way too much on the areas of correction God may want us to carefully look at, and while this is very important, we must never overlook His blessings to us and the encouragement we receive from His word. So stay tuned for that enhancement!! As for today’s Scripture, please allow me to encourage each reader to look for the blessings of God each and every day – even those days when it seems like the bottom has fallen through for you. Praise God for those blessings each day, and be prepared to praise Him with the corporate body when you meet for weekend services. Remember, He is the God of the mountain, and the God of the valleys also. Never feel like He has left you hanging, for He may be giving you room to grow in your relationship with Him. Praise Him for each day, no matter how uplifted you feel, or how little you feel like you accomplished that day. Knowing that you’ve had Jesus by your side and leading the way for you, is enough to praise Him with all of your heart. In the words of David – praise Him forever!

PRAYER: I am reminded of an old hymn ‘Oh For A Thousand Tongues to Sing the glories of my King’, for You are so deserving of all my praise in every circumstance of life, dear God. I remember two distinct times where my family received calls about the death of loved ones. Very sad times, and it would have been extremely challenging to praise You Lord in those times. But in one of those cases, my dad gave his heart in full surrender to You, Lord, and there is no greater cause for praise than to know that a loved one was called from a world of darkness into the kingdom of light as a born again Christian! Please encourage us to not question You in Your infinite wisdom, for you not only know about today, but You are the Designer of our tomorrows also. Thank You for Your faithfulness Lord. We praise You in our storms, because we know that You are waiting our arrival on the other side. Help us to share our blessings with others so that they might want to know You in a personal and intimate way. Thank You Lord Jesus! AMEN!

Become All Things To All People

On 2021-05-122021-05-12 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Evangelism, Evangelize, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Wednesday, 2021-05-12
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Corinthians 9:22-23
TRANSLATION: East-to-Read Version (ERV)

BIBLE TEXT: ²²To those who are weak, I became weak so that I could help save them. I have become all things to all people. I did this so that I could save people in any way possible. ²³I do all this to make the Good News known. I do it so that I can share in the blessings of the Good News.

APPLICATION: First of all, let me emphasize that I firmly believe Jesus came to save all people groups of the world, no matter your education status; your skin color; your culture; your financial status; the sin you have committed; etc, etc. Paul saw a challenge, that I believe still exists today – who will tell them? There’s an old proverb that says ‘Birds of a feather flock together’. There may be many applications for that proverb, but I believe the primary fault with it, is that we tend to become a very exclusive group of folk that either worship together, or play together, or visit one another. I almost left out the last option, because so few of us visit one another anymore. So what does this all boil down to? Well, unfortunately, I believe that it points to the idea that we quickly form little groups of like minded, like cultured, like financially, type people. These are the folk that we worship with, visit and feel closest to. However, we also know that God came to seek and to save ALL that are lost, all that are hurting and need a Savior. So if we are His missionaries and His hands and feet on the ground, what will we find to respond when asked about serving or ministering to the unlikely person stuck with living under that nearby bridge, or sleeps outside of the liquor store for the convenience of being there when it opens next morning? How do you suppose you would think about these scenarios if you were to follow Paul’s example? How do you feel like you could reach these unlikely folk for Jesus? Will you have a satisfactory response for Jesus when He questions you about your work on earth, including ministering to all people in need? Please know that our response to God concerning that man we pay a salary to at church to do all of this, will probably not be what God is looking for. We are all called to ‘go into all the world and proclaim the name of Jesus Christ as the only saving grace from our sins’. If you truly want to understand that person from another culture, ask if you could join him for a day, so that you might walk in his shoes and understand the challenges that he faces each day.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus, our Redeemer, Savior and Friend. Thank You for His demonstration of humility in meeting the needs of people from all walks of life. I’m not sure how we got separated from that and have formed such exclusive groups that often do not include all of society, but Lord You have opened my eyes and reminded me of the need to reach the whole world for Your kingdom’s sake. Please give us wisdom and boldness to tear down those walls of division and rejection. You are known for Your love; encouragement; humbleness; caring; and everlasting hope, among many other attributes. Please help us to be imitators of You, and spread these same attributes to all people, without any walls, so that the world might know You and see You lived out in our lives every day. Thank You Lord Jesus! AMEN!

Just A Touch From The Master

On 2021-05-112021-05-11 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Healing, Hope, Miracles, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Tuesday, 2021-05-11
WRITTEN AT: Jupiter, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Mark 5:22-23; 27-28
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)

BIBLE TEXT: ²²The person in charge of the Jewish meeting place was also there. His name was Jairus, and when he saw Jesus, he went over to him. He knelt at Jesus’ feet ²³and started begging him for help. He said, “My daughter is about to die! Please come and touch her, so she will get well and live.”
²⁷The woman had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him in the crowd and barely touched his clothes. ²⁸She had said to herself, “If I can just touch his clothes, I will get well.”

APPLICATION: At one point, a pastor of a church I attended, at each baptismal service, had everyone stand who ever had a part in that person’s life. It was amazing – from Nursery workers, to Sunday School Teachers, to Youth workers, to Deacons and family members, they all stood as a witness. As I meditated on this Scripture today, I first thought about the Jewish worker from the temple. If they believed that Jesus was not truly the Messiah, why would the Jew feel like Jesus had the power to heal his daughter? Could it have been that many friends bragged on Jesus and shared their overwhelming joy of seeing loved ones healed by this Son of God? Could it be that for years his friends had been especially good to him and shared with him the love of Christ, even though they knew what He believed about Jesus? Now step into the feet of this Jew. What if temple worshippers saw him approaching Jesus? Would he be mocked for the rest of his life? What about you my friend? Are you willing to befriend and encourage an unbeliever, or a person of another denomination or even a cult? How will they know, if you don’t tell them about your Lord? Don’t wait, depending on a friend to tell them. In our second story, we see where a woman who had been sick for a very long time, knew that her chances were slim in getting close enough to Jesus to actually petition Him for healing, but she had heard enough about His healing power, and she had enough faith to believe that if she could only get close enough to touch His robe, she would be healed. Where did this confidence come from? Perhaps friends had shared with her about the One who could heal from a distance by merely speaking the word; One who could heal various diseases and issues like He did for the blind man, the crippled and the man lowered down through the roof. People had undoubtedly shared the good news with her about this Savior of the world. All of this was so touching to me, until I tried to compare it to what we do today. Some may still share the awesome news of Jesus Christ, but isn’t our story often smothered by our whining and complaining? You know, about the ugly suit the preacher had on this week; how you felt like he would never finish his sermon; how the person who sat next to you in church was rude and unfriendly. Wouldn’t our sharing be more productive to the lost friend, or the hopeless person if we told them about the love of God that you were reminded of as you heard the Scriptures read once again, and how you now understand better all that God portrayed through a certain Scripture? Friends, it is so easy to notice the things that are wrong, or that doesn’t fit your expectations, especially when you went to church unprepared to meet with, and celebrate the King of all kings. A pastor of mine had a note stuck to his pulpit with the words ‘O that they might see Jesus’. What if we had those words implanted in our hearts and made them our goal throughout every day? Wouldn’t the people you come into contact with hear more about the love and power of your Lord, rather than the ranting and complaining about your church service or the attendees? Many of our contacts need a touch from the Master, for one reason or another. I pray that each of us will aid them in finding the Master, and not hinder their search through our negative attitudes and ugly actions, God being our helper.

PRAYER: Precious Lord, thank You for the assurance we have of salvation; the proof that we can show of our healing; and the awesome comfort from a God who loves us beyond anything we could imagine. So many are hurting, need healing, and long to know that someone loves them, but they are hopeless on where to turn for either of these. Lord, You have been so good to my readers and I. Please provoke us to share Your love with others and to share our story about the God who saved us, even while we were deep in sin. You encouraged us, You loved us and You gave us amazing hope. Sharing that with a friend who is hurting and in need of a Savior, will make all the difference in the world. It changed the life of the dad who needed healing for his daughter, and for the lady with a blood issue. I believe that there isn’t anything that You can’t do dear Lord. Help me to share that reassurance, especially with those who hurt and feel destitute. AMEN!

Careful Not To Tear Them Down

On 2021-05-102021-05-10 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Monday, 2021-05-10
WRITTEN AT: Jupiter, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Corinthians 8:11-12 (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹¹So because you “know it is all right to do it,” you will be responsible for causing great spiritual damage to a brother with a tender conscience for whom Christ died. ¹²And it is a sin against Christ to sin against your brother by encouraging him to do something he thinks is wrong.

APPLICATION: We still have scenarios today where some believe that they could eat anything, based on the New Testament promise that anything God made and blessed is clean and good to eat. However there are some who are convinced that based on Old Testament teachings, and because Jesus said that He came to re-emphasize the former teachings and not tear down, then they should follow teachings such as the various foods mentioned that are forbidden. Friends, we are talking about items here that have nothing to do with salvation, or the path to heaven, but one group may easily insist that God will hold the other group responsible for disobeying his commands. I believe that if we are convinced in our hearts, the same heart where the Holy Spirit (God) resides to give us wisdom and direction in our earthly Christian walk and ministry, then we need to pay attention to what the Spirit would have us say or do, and not ridicule them because of pious opinions. Remember, sinful man can be reconciled with a holy God, if we would pray for them, encourage them, and help them along the way, instead of turning their eyes from anything that looks like us. God still wants us to share His love, His mercy and His grace with others, and not try to do His job. Yes, we should be passionate in discussing various philosophies and teachings that we hold close to our heart, but please friends, let’s return to placing the ‘main thing’ back into the mainstream of our witness and our preaching and teaching, for unless those who we come into contact with, know Jesus as Lord, they will die and go to Hell, whether they obey Old Testament teachings on certain food, or not. But let’s not misunderstand what Paul was teaching here in these few verses, for the Spirit of God led Him to share with us that if we hang around with friends, that believe in not eating such food that they think are declared ‘unclean’, then we who are Christ followers, should not provoke them by eating in their presence exactly what they feel convinced by the Holy Spirit is indeed unclean. Unfortunately, this concept can cover so many areas of our lives, for there are some that feel like going to the movies is a sin, or cooking on the Sabbath is a sin, or doing any kind of manual labor on that special day set aside to worship God is also a sin. Friends, let’s think back to what Paul said when he was so burdened about the unsaved in his time, he said that he would be all things to all people, if it meant that their eyes and hearts would be opened to the gospel of Jesus Christ. How far would you be prepared to go? If the only time that your friends could attend church is a Sunday evening, but you don’t normally attend any church at that time, will you make the sacrifice to make sure that they get under the preaching of the Word? Are you prepared to sit and chat with a friend who has a strong smell of alcohol on his breath, but crying over his life’s condition? People need the Lord dear friends, and this should be our priority, way more than any other personal preferences we might have. There is no teaching greater than that of salvation – please pray and be willing to do whatever the Holy Spirit leads you to do, in order to help someone come to know Christ!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, it is challenging to know that You accepted us just as we were, yet we tend to set so many expectations on those who need to know You as Lord. In Your Word you declare that we should come ‘just as we are’ for there is no ‘cleaning up’ that we can do under our own power. For You sacrificed Your very own life, so that we might be saved. Please help us realize that only You can save us from the sin and the wretchedness of this world. There is no prescription for good living, or healthy living, or even good behavior that could save us from our sin. Nothing but the blood of Jesus, as one favorite hymn declares! Lord, thank You for saving my soul, please help me to never stand in the way of another who needs You. AMEN!

Awestruck By Your Story

On 2021-05-092021-05-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Answered Prayer, Appreciation, Miracles, Needs, Praise, Recognize God, Witness, Witnessing, WorshipLeave a comment

DATE WRITTEN: Sunday, 2021-05-09
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL

SCRIPTURE FROM: Mark 5:17-20
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: ¹⁷… the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone! ¹⁸So he got back into the boat. The man who had been possessed by the demons begged Jesus to let him go along. ¹⁹But Jesus said no. “Go home to your friends,” he told him, “and tell them what wonderful things God has done for you; and how merciful he has been.”
²⁰So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns^[a] of that region and began to tell everyone about the great things Jesus had done for him; and they were awestruck by his story.

APPLICATION: Jesus performed a miracle by freeing a man from the demons that possessed him. He was haunted and terrorized by the demons, but Jesus made the demons come out of him. Word of this miracle quickly got back to the neighboring towns, causing curiosity seekers to rush to the area to see what could possibly be going on. This upset the Pharisees, as this one act drew more attention than their years of teaching from the Scriptures, so they asked Jesus to leave. I know, you’ve heard stories just like this about a local church near you, right? Unfortunately, in this world we are led to believe that we must be the center of attraction, and that our acts of giving, teaching or preaching is enough to draw unbelievers to church. But notice in our story, the people were drawn to the works of the Creator – God. Perhaps for some, it was just their curiosity, but I believe that for others, it may have been because they had certain personal issues that they wished the Master would also remove from their lives. This reminds me so much about our churches and our groups of Believers today, for we seem to be very inward focused in our ministries and our witness to others. But friends, I believe that Jesus is saying to us, like He did to the healed man, don’t just hang around Me and the comfortable things of life, go to your family and friends and tell them what the Lord has done for you. Did you ever stop to think about how many lives could be touched by our ‘story of salvation’, compared to the endless sermons on various parts of the Bible? Sermons tend to show Believers the truth of God’s Word and help us know our Savior more intimately. Sharing our story with an unsaved friend helps them confirm that Jesus is real and that the same Jesus that touched our life and healed our illnesses and our sin, would definitely also listen to them. You see, we feel so comfortable around other believers because they are our brothers and sisters. But when an unbeliever tries to look at our group, can’t you see how they may feel inferior, imperfect or too impacted by sin for a Holy God to even consider touching their life? We can help them break down those walls by sharing our ‘story’ with them. For even though we may not have murdered anyone, or robbed a bank, yet we were steeped in sin when Jesus found us and saved us from all our iniquities. We were, just as they are now, and if Jesus saved us, we know that He could also save them. Who knows, your friends might be just as awestruck hearing how Jesus saved you, as the friends of the demoniac was when they heard his ‘story’!

PRAYER: Thank You Jesus for looking beyond our faults, our disobedience, our sin, our disrespect and our lack of love for our family and friends, and You acted on our cry for salvation. Only a God like You will go that far. But God, I pray that You will make such a change in our lives that unbelievers will stop and listen to our story of meeting, and being accepted by, the Creator of our universe. Thank You Lord for our pastors, church leaders and Sunday School teachers, but please touch the lives of every believer who reads this devotional today and impress upon each one the importance of them also sharing their personal story of faith in God, dependence on Him and His response to their prayers. May sharing this story bring positive reactions from unbelievers and cause them to look closer at the living Christ who can do ALL things. May Your kingdom come today as we be about Your work. AMEN!

Nuggets From God's Word

Month: May 2021